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- Kevin Drum notes that test scores in Washington, DC public schools soared under Michelle Rhee, leading to $75 million in the Race to the Top Competition and teacher bonuses at a top school. But did one of the district’s star performers, the Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus, cheat its way to success? USA Today reports.
- Confused about why we even have standardized tests, what’s at stake if you get a low score, or who writes those questions? Read Mother Jones’ standardized testing explainer.
- Meanwhile, Philadelphia Inquirer investigates violence in the The City of Brotherly Love’s school district; 4,541 assaults were recorded during the 2009-2010 school year alone (that’s 25 violent assaults a day). With video.
- Having problems getting students to care about high-stakes testing? Maybe try some high-stakes bribing, which may or may not help them answer the high-stakes salsa question on the test. But the “offensive test question of the week” award goes to Duluth, Georgia.
- Naturally, Obama thinks standardized tests need to change. Not so naturally, one teacher made a catchy song about it. Chorus: “Test teacher/test teacher/ teaching to the test. Work on math and English and forget about the rest.”
- Maybe you didn’t need the new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior to tell you this. But being in a school where teacher’s feel disrespected and resources are inadequate affects children’s mental health for the worse, EdNews Parent reports.
- Last, check out GOOD’s story on the California principal currently selling her entire collection of shoes to stave off the Golden State’s school lay-offs.